Cleanup begins at fire site
Published 10:08 am Tuesday, April 28, 2009
That’s Sam Nguyen starting the North Main Street clean-up — not the City of Austin.
One fire-damaged building instead of six is being mercifully erased from the North Main Street cityscape.
On Monday, a Bustad Excavating crew started preparing to clean-up debris from the Jan. 15 fire, and it caused a flurry of excitement from downtowners eager to see the mess gone.
Austin Fire Chief Dan Wilson assisted the contractor in gaining access to a fire hydrant to water the site when the actual demolition work begins today, and debris is hauled away. That will be necessary to eliminate the dust from the air as much as possible.
The site of one business-owner cleaning up one business site was encouraging to all.
“I got the city’s permission to clean up my building,” said Nguyen, co-owner of the family-owned Top Ten Nails business. “I’m paying for it. I’m not getting any help. I’m having it done myself.”
The Top Ten Nails business was re-located to 507 First St. N.W. after being one of the 400 block of North Main Street victims of the devastating fire.
Arson is believed to be the cause of the blaze, and the investigation is continuing, according to Wilson.
The Jan. 15 fire occurred on a brutal Thursday afternoon, when temperatures plunged below zero.
Passersby told authorities they heard an explosion near 3:45 p.m. Jan. 15.
A family living in an apartment above the Mia Tierra restaurant, grocery store, money transfer and other businesses near the Downtown Plaza (Third Avenue Northeast) intersection escaped injuries.
Firefighters from Austin, Albert Lea, Blooming Prairie, Brownsdale and Rose Creek battled the blaze overnight.
Maria Leon, owner of the properties at 400-406 North Main St., has received official notice from the city that her properties have been declared a health hazard and must be cleaned up.
However, the prospect that the cleanup could take 60 days or more has frustrated business-owners on the west side of North Main Street.
They’re the ones who look out their store windows at the sight, withstand constant inquires from customers who wonder why it is taking so long to clean up the hazard and independent business operators who have lost customer parking on the east side of North Main Street.
“It’s frustrating for all of us,” said Jim Hurm, city administrator, “We all want something to be done soon.”
No further action from the Austin City Council is expected until their next meeting, May 4, when they are slated to review cost estimates for the cleanup.
Sandy Bell, owner of Twice Is Nice, one of the businesses on the west side of North Main Street, has been among the vocal critics of the city’s inaction.
“I’m still frustrated,” Bell said of the situation Monday. “They’re going to take up a lot of parking spaces when they do all the demolition and clean up work.
“It’s going to clog up Main Street all summer if they only do one building a week at a time,” she said. “I think the city and the property owners have to get together, make it the top priority and get it done immediately.
“North Main Street is the heart of downtown Austin,” she said. “For safety’s sake and the beauty, they need to get it done.”
According to Bell, the Austin Main Street Project has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in restoring store fronts along North Main Street. Next door to her Twice Is Nice business is one of the Austin Main Street Project sites: The new location of Steve’s Pizza.
“What does this show?” Bell gestured across the street at the damaged buildings. “It doesn’t show much concern for Main Street.”
According to Bell, 25 to 50 people, who visit her store daily, bring up the unsightly mess across North Main Street. “They ask me ‘Why hasn’t the city cleaned it up? How can they leave it like that?” she said.
Bell said she has seen people climb into the shells of the businesses to stand atop the rubble and have their picture taken.
“Do they want to spend a $100,000 now to clean it up or do they want to spend hundreds more on law suits?” she said.
Bell and her store employees called the Austin Police Department recently, when they saw a man stop in front of one of the abandoned businesses “look around and then dash inside.”
Sandy Forstner, executive director of the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, is also growing impatient.
Despite Nguyen’s initiative, Forstner said more has to be done and quickly.
“I’m glad to see something started,” Forstner said of Nguyen’s action. “I hope the other property owners will also get busy and take action with the city’s help.”
Forstner is caught in the middle: Merchants like Bell complaint to him and he, in turn, complains to the city.
Steve Davis, co-owner with his wife, Angie, of the Steve’s Pizza restaurant along North Main Street, where the former Granle’s Custom Framing and Art Gallery business was located, said Nguyen’s action caused him to be hopeful.
“Hopefully, they will get all of the buildings will be cleaned up and hopefully something attractive will be built there,” Davis said. “I think it could be a nice place for parking or, hopefully, new businesses.”
Also sounding hopeful was Bonnie Mogen, retired owner of the business that bears her name, Bonnie’s Hallmark, next door to Twice Is Nice.
She said the excitement at finally seeing some clean-up action begun “overwhelmed me.”
Mogen said customers at the b business now owned by her daughter, Cindy Smith, “bring it up all the time,” when they shop at Bonnie’s Hallmark and see the fire damage across the street.
“I try to put a positive slant on it,” she said. “Because of all the issues that are involved.”
Mogen said she gave the Austin City Council credit for “unanimously voting for the city’s responsibility.”
“I do give them credit, and I do thank them for that,” Mogen said.